𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 『Alex Summers』

T E N

the paper seemed to grow stronger as Evelyn flipped each page of the book within her grasp; each one held more emotion, more struggle, more passion than she thought was possible to be written. the paragraphs strung together with words of love, suffering and pain seemed to have her trapped in her own universe, a universe that couldn't even be penetrated by a knock on her door.

"Evelyn? it's Raven... Again." she was taken out of her reading trance by the girls voice.

she wasn't sure how long she had been sat in her room, but it was enough time for her to knock out a great deal of the book. but then again, she had been trained to be a fast reader. a good widow was a good fighter. but a great one was also smart.

upon not receiving an answer, Raven took it upon herself to open the bedroom door uninvited, stepping inside and feeling the breeze drifting through the open window, "it's chilly in here." she stated, hoping to get Evelyn to converse with her.

it was to no avail, Evelyn continued staring at the pages in front of her, not actually reading, more ignoring the girl who stood in her newly appointed space.

"i wrapped your dinner up, you didn't eat much of it." silence, once again. "you'll be hungry later... you're probably starving now actual-"

"why are you really here?" Evelyn questioned, bored of Raven's rambling.

she cleared her throat, clearly caught out i something she hadn't wished to be, "just to tell you that. and to see if you're okay."

"why would i not be?" her question was meant to be rhetorical, but Raven seemed to not care about that.

she manoeuvred so she was seated next to the slightly younger girl on the wooden floor, shuffling to get as comfortable as she could with the iciness pinching her skin too much to be natural in the October weather.

"i mean, there's a lot going on right now, for all of us, but especially you." silence, again. "you know, we're here for you. Moira means her best, she's trying to keep you safe."

Evelyn closed the book, slipping the small scrap of paper she had found between where she was reading and stared ahead.

Raven softened her voice even more, if that was possible, "it can't have been easy for you, coming here. but we're all gonna keep you safe, if you'll do the same for us. like friends should."

she swallowed thickly, turning her head to the open window and watching as the soft wind made the leaves of the trees dance, "i do not think that i am made for friends." her voice as quiet as the rustling trees.

she knew it herself that it was true. she knew she was made to be a killer. she was whipped into the shape of a killer, metaphorically and literally. years and years spent training eighteen hours a day on how to use each gun, each knife, each taser. while somethings didn't make sense to her, she knew she could never be like the rest of the people currently in the house.

you see, the mind is a funny thing. you can raise a child from birth, feed and clean it as you would any other baby, but if that child never has any form of contact with say, the colour yellow, until the age of eighteen, when scientists blindfold them and lock them in a purely neon-yellow room, one of two things can happen: They can become giddy with excitement, staring at it bewildered as childlike instincts flood their senses once again. Or, their eyes can feel as if they are melting out of their sockets, their brain can go completely into shutdown and spiral, allowing their aggressive, primal instincts to destroy everything they see.

and right now, Evelyn wasn't sure what was happening to her. she grew up, deprived of the basic human experiences she needed to function properly. how could she ever fathom eating at a dinner table and holding a normal convocation? holding hands with a brooding boy with sparkling eyes?